Name: Nashville Hot Tofu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 Servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 30 ounces extra-firm or super firm tofu; 1 cup pickle juice; 2 cups buttermilk*; 0.333 cup hot sauce; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 3 tablespoons seasoned salt; 1 tbsp paprika; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; 1.5 teaspoons black pepper; 0.5 tsp garlic powder; 2 teaspoons onion powder; Vegetable oil; plain white bread and sliced pickles; 0.5 cup used frying oil; 0.25 cup butter; 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper; 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp paprika; 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 tsp black pepper

This vegetarian version of the famous Nashville Hot Chicken is something even the meat eaters will love! Having grown up in Nashville, I had my fair share of hot chicken and after going vegetarian, I've spent the past 8 years PERFECTING my meat-free version of this classic southern dish!

Dinner

40 m

American

Food with Feeling

April 22, 2026

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From the Cook

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Nashville Hot Tofu

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Ingredients

Warning0 allergens identified

Nashville Hot Tofu

For the Fried tofu

30 ounces extra-firm or super firm tofu

1 cup pickle juice

2 cups buttermilk*divided

⅓ cup hot sauce

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons seasoned salt

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 ½ teaspoons black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

Vegetable oilfor frying

plain white bread and sliced picklesfor serving

For the spicy paste:

½ cup used frying oil

¼ cup buttermelted

3 tablespoons cayenne pepperdepending on your preference

1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

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For the Fried tofu

Start by prepping the tofu. Super firm tofu does not need to be pressed but if using extra-firm, press it according to these directions. Once pressed, hot each block of tofu into 2-3 pieces. I cut mine into 2 pieces (to get 4 total) but that makes for a pretty thick piece of tofu so you can also cut the blocks into 3 pieces (to get 6 total). Optional: slightly tear the edges of the tofu to give it a more “fried chicken” look and feel to it.

Place the tofu into a wide shallow dish and cover with the pickle juice and ½ cup of the buttermilk. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Prepare the breading by whisking together the flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a wide, shallow bowl.

When ready to cook the tofu, mix together the remaining buttermilk and hot sauce in another wide and shallow bowl.

Add enough oil to a large skillet so that it will go halfway up the pieces of tofu. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F.

Meanwhile, bread the tofu by dipping each pieces in the wet mixture so that it’s full covered and then cover it in the flour mixture. Repeat this process so that each tofu piece gets dipped in the wet mixture twice and then the flour mixture twice.

Once the oil is hot, Carefully add in the breaded tofu and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side or until they turn a beautiful dark golden brown color. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to catch the excess oil.

For the spicy paste

Mix together all of the ingredients for the spicy paste.

Place a piece of the fried tofu on top of the 2 slices of bread and brush on the paste (you can also dip the tofu into the sauce) and then top with pickles slices. ENJOY!

Notes

To make this vegan, combine 1 3/4 cups vegan milk with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes to let t curdle and thicken a bit before using.